Fixturing & Workholding: CNC Vises & 2,4,6 Blocks

[@turborulz72]

Wow, your videos are clipped together very well. It's like a USB cable to my brain. 3d printing fixturing for inside a vice = GENIUS!!!! Waterjet cutting plexi is about 100 times faster I imagine.

[@CraigHollabaugh]

Thanks JS, just bought a Precision Matthews mill and this series has been extremely helpful.

[@BigGoucho]

Great timing. Looking to switch careers. Haven't done machining since college but I need out from behind a desk. I'm also not wired to work for someone else.

[@cer1701]

Hey, I love your videos, they are very informative. I have a small suggestion about your videos, however. Your head and body are not framed very well when you are on camera. Move the camera down and pull back a bit. Just a suggestion!!

[@diymatt]

That was weird right? I noticed it too. They are normally good with framing. I'm tall so I felt like John was right in front of me. This is my normal view of most people. :)

[@sscadcam]

'Saunders!'

[@CNCMachinistEducationNetwork]

I just discovered this great series. Nice visuals of many variations that I can show class

[@poetac15]

Looking forward to the series!

[@zaz4667]

Awesome! Thanks for the tips I did not know! Also, Sweet pumpkin machining! I just did a run of 2000 pumpkin parts and they turned out great!

[@JuLew3105]

Learning alot and taking this knowledge to my shop, Thanks!

[@ContraptionCollection]

One of the best and worst things about machining is you can think you have fixturing all figured out, then you get a print that really makes you scratch your head about how to hold it. The puzzle of workholding can be very frustrating or very satisfying. When you have bosses who don't understand the value of custom fixtures, you have to get creative with vises. Here's some other ways to use vises: 1. Use multiple on the table for long parts. 2. Hold parts that are out of square by using a round rod or something soft like a piece of wire on the moveable jaw side to help the best side of the material be forced flat with the solid jaw. 3. Hold round parts. You want 3 points of contact, so V-blocks should be used depending on the size and orientation of the part. 4. For other round parts you can use a collet block. By using it with a vise and a work stop you can quickly change it's orientation. You can use a hex collet block and a work stop to quickly cut a hex head for a custom bolt. Then you could turn it upright if you needed to do something on the top. Square blocks can do the same or allow you to easily cut a flat or drill holes through a round bar. The Collet could have it's own stop to make multiple parts quickly. 5. Hold a vise in another vise. The can allow you to do strange compound angles. Or a smaller vise might be better at more delicate parts. Or similarly to using the collet block, the part could be taken out of the machine inside the smaller vise and put back in at different orientations accurately with a work stop. This could help not having to make as many sets of soft jaws for one part. Lastly isn't really workholding, but you can also press pins into a part using a vise.

[@frp1276]

I hold large round parts with two vises semi regularly. Four points of contact (two floating). Works OK. Generally 0 setup time

[@elliotstokes6134]

Great video!!! More please

[@artmckay6704]

Torque wrench.....I totally agree! Good choice! :)

[@roylucas1027]

Very interesting and well done. Thank you.

[@paulwyleciol3459]

THANK YOU! Very interesting topic!

[@cncwoodarts]

Thanks for all your work and great videos! I finally started working with CNC and starting my own channel! I watched your videos for years ans now am using a large 10'x5' Roctech 3 axis mill. If you ever need any wood parts cut let me know!

[@Cretan-un6ul]

Thank's John.

[@NoobGuyZZ]

I would be grateful if you make a video about how to machining profile on machinable profile.

[@bcbloc02]

I had no idea pumpkins could produce chatter. lol

[@doubledarefan]

Especially when carved intro jack-o-lanterns. They can really chat up a storm!

[@jacobfalk4827]

Love this video idea!

[@shadow7037932]

Isn't it awesome how flexible 2/4/6 blocks are?

[@melgross]

All Kurt type vises use the Angle-lock ball feature, not just cnc models. They also have smooth jaws supplied.

[@BRANDON-IRON009]

I was the guy who always was like screw metric. But now that Im working with it I cannot understand why anyone would even think about using imperial. Its crazy to me, why go back 4 decimal places when 2 places covers almost everything in metric.

[@Eluderatnight]

I threw out my imperial sockets and wrenches then I got a bunch of ol arn project...

[@guitaraffa]

It's unfortunate that one of Kurt's newest and best vises (DX6) still comes in the flange style mounting :(

[@kyledombrowski7051]

just buy one without the flange??

[@Eluderatnight]

Something you can do with a big over hang and side milling is to use a toe jack and a down cutting endmill.

[@henryhbk]

Great video. You should do more of this style, where it gives us a nice highlight back on a specific topic. For instance I didn’t remember the acrylic “parallels” that were in the lego removal video, but this provides a more contextual index into older videos. I have used 3D printed soft jaws (SLA printed solid in “tough” resin, and at least with 6061 worked amazingly well. Sure I could have machined my soft jaws out of the blanks, but 3D printing was definitely cheaper. And one nice thing is if you hit a printed soft jaw it’s not going to break a tool! Also you can make “impossible shape” expansion fixtures that aren’t creatable by us poor-folk with only 4 axes

[@terry6131]

I'm a newbie hobby engineer so have the cheaper end of the market vice (but not super cheap crap). However the jaws are slightly banana shaped, with a thou difference between the centre and ends. Is it worth machining the faces on the mill? Is this something that's ever done in a 'real' machine shop?

[@mattagnew206]

Hey Terry, a real machine shop would hopefully have vice jaws that are true! You may be taking a chance trying to machine the jaws as they could be pretty hard. Grinding is better, but taking them to a shop to grind them may not be cost effective. I'd work around it, using shim stock as needed, and save up for a nicer vice.

[@CdrBimberle]

Am I first? Nice video ;-)

[@akka4751]

which clamping force are you suggesting for torque wrench?

[@ricardo-iw9sq]

I run an edm wire eroder and sometimes a customer brings a part in like say a ball and want features cutting and i always say how the hell do i clamp it 99% of the time its impossible on an edm to use a mill type vice, so when it comes to fixturing it gets interesting. I had part like a washer 100mm dia 6 mm thick and had to cut it in two its none magnetic and couldn't use glue as it ends up being an insulator and the tolerance was 0.010mm, sometimes customers dont understand just because you can 3d print or cad model something it doesnt always work in the real world.

[@mattagnew206]

Can you secure tricky parts with a low melting temperature alloy?

[@ricardo-iw9sq]

@@mattagnew206 never thought that one thanks might give that a try, the only issue is my flushing pumps pump at 12 bar but all the same worth a go 👍👍

[@igornikitine6020]

👌👌 👍👍

[@claudiugalea3038]

What laser Machine is that?

[@Honzishek]

ey john that was nice for education, but man your hair is starting turn gray. Is it stress or wisdom ?. Wish you happy day from europe man :) .

[@BIGOS-CNC]

👈👍

[@cayenne7792]

camera height, angle, Dude

[@dreamcreator2552]

In my experience Kurt vises are inferior to those manufactured by Jergens. Jergens are the best of the best. The Jergens vises have ZERO uplifting when clamping. They are true precision at its best. Kurt has a name, but is not in the same league as Jergens.

[@Arthurlabs1]

If you can get the piece of shit running. I just bought a new one, nothing but problems, if you cannot aford a HAAS for get it

[@dan3076]

ITS NOT A "JIG" ITS A FIXTURE REAL MACHINISTS KNOW THIS

[@AkronOhioMachine]

I watch these videos and pick up some interesting things on occasion. But often I look at the screen shaking my head thinking..wrong...wrong...wrong..He seems like a nice enough guy but 5 years ago was playing with Tormachs making high school class mistakes. He misses a lot of important points because of a lack of experience/knowledge. Nothing against him but you don't know what you don't know. I'm still learning after 38 years but not an apprentice anymore..I do believe he's mastered KZbin and used it well to recruit competent people and advertise his products. Kudos to him on that.